Meeting notes for January 26, 2015

Next meeting Monday, February 2, 2015, 6:00 to 8:00 p.m., location to be determined, maybe Macchiato’s again? Location will be sent to you via this email.

Seven people met on January 26th. JohnSki noted that January is the anniversary of the overthrow of the Hawaiian monarchy of Queen Liliuokalani by U.S. naval forces and commercial interests in 1893. Go to www.hawaiianperspectives.org for further information and the native Hawaiian viewpoint.

Announcements included events coming up tomorrow, January 27th:

Wisconsin Senate hearing on its version of the education bill, 9:00 a.m., Room 411S, State Capitol. Marcia and Mary Arnold are going. Senator Luther Olson chairs the committee. Although he is a Republican, Sen. Olson is a longtime friend of public education and has toned down the Senate bill from the Assembly version to make it less destructive.

Also on January 27th at 7:00 p.m. in the City-County Bldg. is the last hearing of the Dane County zoning board on the Enbridge pipeline going through part of NE Dane County. Every other affected Wisconsin county has approved it.

John Stanley reported that in the 3rd Wisconsin Congressional District progressive organizations are organizing to join the Wisconsin Grassroots Network. The WGN continues to organize and is also conferring with Mike McCabe, former executive director of the Wisconsin Democracy Campaign and author of Blue Jeans in High Places.

On February 16th, Franco Milani of the Friends of the Upper Yahara River Headwaters (FUYRH) will meet with us to discuss the effects of climate change on water quality. Franco used to work at the University of Wisconsin on the topic.

We had much discussion on our upcoming April 11th event, “What’s in YOUR Water?” Ginny reserved the facilities at the Windsor Community Center, 4438 Windsor Road, Windsor, Wisconsin. You can do an internet search to find directions. The times are 1:00 to 4:00 p.m. For more information, check the DAP website at http://deforestareaprogressives.nationbuilder.com/do_you_know_what_s_in_your_water . Karen has posted lots of goodies on our website and updates it regularly. She also passed out copies of a flyer she has designed for the April 11th event. Good going, Karen! “What’s in YOUR Water?” will be a regular agenda item at all DAP Monday meetings from now until then, so come if you want to volunteer to help.

Bill Hayes reported on his talks with our presenters for April 11th. Bill has had a lot of discussion with Shahla Werner, Director of the John Muir chapter of the Sierra Club, who will be our main presenter along with Emily Jones from Clean Wisconsin. Their emphasis will be on water runoff and what it does to water supplies. They will also touch of the subject of high capacity wells.

Our two objectives for “What’s in YOUR Water?” are

1) Identify the threat, and

2) What can we do about it?

Bill handed out some very interesting information to get us acquainted with what we want to accomplish in this event: “WHAT’S IN YOUR WATER – What threatens your water – Clean, Safe and Plentiful Water is not a left-right, conservative vs liberal issue, it is a basic essential for organic life to simply exist.” (3 pages of facts)

Other topics of discussion regarding the topic of water:

The City of Waukesha is seeking permission to pump water from Lake Michigan. There are more and more demands on Lake Michigan water from more and more places. Reference was made to the pact created around 1989 between the states bordering the Great Lakes and Canada regarding Great Lakes water ownership and responsibility.

Elizabeth Ward of the Sierra Club would like to do a follow-up on the Enbridge oil pipeline running through Wisconsin.

FUYRH will participate on April 11th. Barry Eichinger has agreed to deliver a 15 or 20 minute introduction to FUYRH (who they are, what they do) between 1:00 and 1:30 to kick off the afternoon.

Ideas for follow-up are 1) hold a water rally on the Capitol lawn with WGN involvement and whatever progressive groups in the 2nd CD Alliance and Progressive Partners want to participate, 2) enjoin the ideas of community bill of rights with the ideas of “What’s in YOUR Water?”

Contact Dean Baker, V. of DeForest public works director, and explain to him that we do not intend to criticize water quality in DeForest and Windsor per se.

Pursue a grant with the Village of DeForest, asking the FUYRH to sponsor such a grant application as they are a 501c3 organization, which is a requirement to be a grant applicant for a water grant with the village. Such a grant might ask for funds for publicity, A-V equipment rental, mileage, stipends for Sierra and Clean Wisconsin, printing, what else?

Maybe FUYRH would like to put up an informational table on April 11th.

All DAP members should be thinking of how to publicize “What’s in YOUR Water?” What organizations should we contact? Where can we put up flyers and posters? Whom can we call? Ginny wants to put up flyers on State Street in Madison! It worked when she did it for the fracking program we did.

Also at this meeting, we went over what DAP members are doing in the Wisconsin Grassroots Network Festival on March 28. See www.wisconsingrassroots.net for further information on this year’s festival. John St. said there is more help needed that Friday night to set up tables and such. Also, bakers are needed to make pies and cakes to sell at the DAP table. Contact John if you can spare some time that Friday and Saturday to do “gofer” work and table sit.